Astros eye roster move to make room for Williams

Righthander Jerome Williams has passed his physical after agreeing with the Astros on a $2.1 million deal with up to $1 million more in incentives, a baseball source told the Chronicle on Wednesday. He won’t officially be on the Astros until the team finds a 40-man roster space for him by taking someone else off the roster.

The roster move is more likely to come Thursday than Wednesday night.

Williams agreed to terms with the Astros on Monday. His incentives are tied to innings pitched and games pitched, but cannot exceed more than $1 million cumulatively. The dual structure was put in place because Williams could end up in a swingman role, although his preference is to start.

For reaching 12, 15, 20, 25 and 30 games started, Williams would receive $200,000 for each marker. The same goes for reaching 120 innings and every 10-inning increment up through 210.

Assuming the other 16 players on the Astros’ Opening Day roster will make about the league minimum of $500,000 in 2014 — and that’s not necessarily the case — that leaves the Astros at a minimum base salary of more than $43 million this season.

Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez, traded away in 2012 to the Pirates, is due $5.5 million from the Astros this season, making him the team’s third highest paid player. That ratchets up the team’s committed dollars closer to $50 million.